Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Deferred
Paragraph: 59
Strengthen licensing authority powers and guidance to prevent spiking and gender-based violence
Recommendation
We are concerned that the Government is not doing enough to monitor licensing authorities’ use of powers to regulate the night-time economy, both with specific regard to spiking incidents and more generally in relation to violence against women and girls. (Paragraph 59) Within three months the Government should: (i) collect data on local licensing authorities’ use of their powers to impose conditions or revoke premises licenses, where venues do not take sufficient measures to protect and provide support to customers in spiking incidents; (ii) work with local authorities to develop an anti-spiking strategy which encourages local licensing authorities to make better use of these powers; and (iii) as part of this, review guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 with a view to requiring licensing authorities to consider the prevalence, prevention and reporting of sexual harassment and misconduct and gender-based violence in statements of local licensing policy.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government did not address the recommendation to monitor licensing authorities' use of powers or to review section 182 guidance, instead stating it will consider research into the motivations of spiking offenders.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
59
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
The Government continues to work with local areas to ensure that everyone is safe and secure in the night time economy. Our work to tackle violence against women and girls is continuing to drive momentum to improve the response to issues such as spiking and more widely. Over 2021–22, the Government invested £25m in round 3 of the Safer Streets Fund (SSF), which focused on reducing VAWG in public and improving feelings of safety for all, and £5m in the Safety of Women at Night (SWaN) fund. The £75m round 4 of the SSF also includes a focus on tackling VAWG in public spaces, as well as anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood crime. We plan to announce successful bidders for SSF Round 4 as soon as possible. We welcome the Committee’s suggestions on what more Government could do to augment ongoing work with local authorities. We currently collect statistics from local authorities every other year on authorisations and licensing authority powers under the Licensing Act 2003. Specifically, these include premises licences, club premises certificates, personal 3 Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk) licences, late night refreshment, 24-hour alcohol licences, temporary event notices, early morning alcohol restriction orders, late night levies, and late-night refreshment exemptions. It also includes statistics on cumulative impact areas, reviews, hearings and appeals. We will explore with local authorities, licensing stakeholders and the Local Government Association whether data on licence reviews and revocations could be added to this report. Government Ministers wrote recently to remind licensing committees of their responsibilities and the powers that both licensing committees and the police have available to them to ensure licensed premises are managed responsibly and safely, and to encourage collaboration between local agencies to ensure that spiking is considered when assessing licence applications. We will continue to work with partners to ensure that education, awareness, and dissemination of new initiatives and existing good practice are shared widely. The Government accepts part three of the Committee’s recommendation and will review the guidance issued under Section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 to consider whether we should require licensing authorities to consider the prevalence, prevention and reporting of sexual harassment and misconduct and gender-based violence in statements of local licensing policy.
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